Staff Software Engineer, Data Platform

Back to jobs Staff Software Engineer, Data Platform San Francisco, CA Discord has a highly engaged community of millions of daily active users who use the platform for many different reasons, but there’s one thing that nearly everyone does: play video games. Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming, and we are focused on making it easier and more fun for people to hang out before, during, and after playing games. We're looking for someone who gets excited about building data infrastructure at massive scale and cares deeply about the gaming communities we serve. Someone with passion for building lovable products for Discord users and Discord engineers. We're building the next generation Data Platform that powers decisions for one of the most vibrant platforms in the world. If you're the kind of Staff Engineer who sees ambiguity as an invitation — who builds systems that make whole teams faster, shapes technical strategy across the org, and wants your decisions to directly impact millions of gamers worldwide — we want to talk to you. To learn more about Discord's Data Platform, read our engineering blog, including how we built our modern data stack leveraging open-source tools! This position is based in our San Francisco office. What You'll Be Doing Own the technical direction of major Data Platform initiatives like GRC, scaling, or stream processing, from problem to production system and post-launch healthBe a force multiplier: build reusable primitives, unblock teammates, and raise the quality bar across the teamStay a top code contributor. You write real production code while helping others reach the same barPartner with XFN stakeholders to translate business problems into clear technical strategyChampion debate, decide, and commit and 80/20 thinking to drive robust technical solutions supporting multiple team What You Should Have 7+ years of software engineering experience with a track record of driving large, ambiguous technical initiatives end-to-endExpertise in distributed systems and data infrastructure at scale. You've anticipated hard problems before they became incidentsDemonstrated ability to multiply a team's impact through architectural thought leadership, design reviews, reusable abstractions, and well-timed mentorshipStrong technical judgment: when to go fast vs. slow, when to build vs. integrate, and how to bring stakeholders alongCross-functional influence: you've driven alignment across engineering, product, and business without relying on authority Bonus Points Passion for Discord and gamingExperience with data governance, privacy compliance, real-time analytics infrastructure, or cost optimization in large-scale data environments Candidates must reside in or be willing to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties). Relocation assistance may be available. The US base salary range for this full-time position is $279,000 to $341,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits. Why Discord? Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We're a multiplatform, multigenerational and multiplayer platform that helps people deepen their friendships around games and shared interests, and helps developers build and grow their businesses. We believe games give us a way to have fun with our favorite people, whether listening to music together or grinding in competitive matches for diamond rank. Join us in our mission! Your future is just a click away! Discord is committed to inclusion and providing reasonable accommodations during the interview process. We want you to feel set up for success, so if you are in need of reasonable accommodations, please let your recruiter know. Please see our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy for details regarding Discord’s collection and usage of personal information relating to the application and recruitment process by clicking HERE. Apply for this job indicates a required field First Name* Last Name* Email* Phone Country* Phone* 244 results found No results found Afghanistan+93Åland Islands+358Albania+355Algeria+213American Samoa+1Andorra+376Angola+244Anguilla+1Antigua & Barbuda+1Argentina+54Armenia+374Aruba+297Ascension Island+247Australia+61Austria+43Azerbaijan+994Bahamas+1Bahrain+973Bangladesh+880Barbados+1Belarus+375Belgium+32Belize+501Benin+229Bermuda+1Bhutan+975Bolivia+591Bosnia & Herzegovina+387Botswana+267Brazil+55British Indian Ocean Territory+246British Virgin Islands+1Brunei+673Bulgaria+359Burkina Faso+226Burundi+257Cambodia+855Cameroon+237Canada+1Cape Verde+238Caribbean Netherlands+599Cayman Islands+1Central African Republic+236Chad+235Chile+56China+86Christmas Island+61Cocos (Keeling) Islands+61Colombia+57Comoros+269Congo - Brazzaville+242Congo - Kinshasa+243Cook Islands+682Costa Rica+506Côte d’Ivoire+225Croatia+385Cuba+53Curaçao+599Cyprus+357Czechia+420Denmark+45Djibouti+253Dominica+1Dominican Republic+1Ecuador+593Egypt+20El Salvador+503Equatorial Guinea+240Eritrea+291Estonia+372Eswatini+268Ethiopia+251Falkland Islands+500Faroe Islands+298Fiji+679Finland+358France+33French Guiana+594French Polynesia+689Gabon+241Gambia+220Georgia+995Germany+49Ghana+233Gibraltar+350Greece+30Greenland+299Grenada+1Guadeloupe+590Guam+1Guatemala+502Guernsey+44Guinea+224Guinea-Bissau+245Guyana+592Haiti+509Honduras+504Hong Kong SAR China+852Hungary+36Iceland+354India+91Indonesia+62Iran+98Iraq+964Ireland+353Isle of Man+44Israel+972Italy+39Jamaica+1Japan+81Jersey+44Jordan+962Kazakhstan+7Kenya+254Kiribati+686Kosovo+383Kuwait+965Kyrgyzstan+996Laos+856Latvia+371Lebanon+961Lesotho+266Liberia+231Libya+218Liechtenstein+423Lithuania+370Luxembourg+352Macao SAR China+853Madagascar+261Malawi+265Malaysia+60Maldives+960Mali+223Malta+356Marshall Islands+692Martinique+596Mauritania+222Mauritius+230Mayotte+262Mexico+52Micronesia+691Moldova+373Monaco+377Mongolia+976Montenegro+382Montserrat+1Morocco+212Mozambique+258Myanmar (Burma)+95Namibia+264Nauru+674Nepal+977Netherlands+31New Caledonia+687New Zealand+64Nicaragua+505Niger+227Nigeria+234Niue+683Norfolk Island+672North Korea+850North Macedonia+389Northern Mariana Islands+1Norway+47Oman+968Pakistan+92Palau+680Palestinian Territories+970Panama+507Papua New Guinea+675Paraguay+595Peru+51Philippines+63Poland+48Portugal+351Puerto Rico+1Qatar+974Réunion+262Romania+40Russia+7Rwanda+250Samoa+685San Marino+378São Tomé & Príncipe+239Saudi Arabia+966Senegal+221Serbia+381Seychelles+248Sierra Leone+232Singapore+65Sint Maarten+1Slovakia+421Slovenia+386Solomon Islands+677Somalia+252South Africa+27South Korea+82South Sudan+211Spain+34Sri Lanka+94St. Barthélemy+590St. Helena+290St. Kitts & Nevis+1St. Lucia+1St. Martin+590St. Pierre & Miquelon+508St. Vincent & Grenadines+1Sudan+249Suriname+597Svalbard & Jan Mayen+47Sweden+46Switzerland+41Syria+963Taiwan+886Tajikistan+992Tanzania+255Thailand+66Timor-Leste+670Togo+228Tokelau+690Tonga+676Trinidad & Tobago+1Tunisia+216Turkey+90Turkmenistan+993Turks & Caicos Islands+1Tuvalu+688U.S. Virgin Islands+1Uganda+256Ukraine+380United Arab Emirates+971United Kingdom+44United States+1Uruguay+598Uzbekistan+998Vanuatu+678Vatican City+39Venezuela+58Vietnam+84Wallis & Futuna+681Western Sahara+212Yemen+967Zambia+260Zimbabwe+263 Location (City)* Resume/CV Attach Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf Cover Letter Attach Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf Education School Select... Degree Select... Discipline Select... Why do you want to work at Discord?* What do you use Discord for?* LinkedIn Profile How did you hear about this job? Are you legally authorized to work in the United States for our Company?* Select... Are you currently located in the US?* Select... Are you currently based in or willing to relocate to the Bay Area for this position?* Select... Voluntary Self Identification For government reporting purposes (EEO-1), we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Discord is required to file annual demographic reports with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Your responses help us meet this obligation. Each question below includes an “I don’t wish to answer” option. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. Additionally, we also have [optional] questions. These help us understand the composition of our broader applicant pool and have no impact on your application or hiring decisions. Your answers are kept secure, pseudonymized, and separate from your application and personal data. By answering, you consent to our use of your responses for the reasons above. If you change your mind later about sharing this information, you can withdraw consent anytime by reaching out to us at privacy@discordapp.com. Discord is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training. Gender* Select... Race and Ethnicity* Select... Veteran Status* Select... Disability Status* Select... Gender Identity (optional) Select... Race or Ethnicity (optional) Select... I consider myself a member of the LGBTQ+ community. (optional) Select... Discord has a highly engaged community of millions of daily active users who use the platform for many different reasons, but there’s one thing that nearly everyone does: play video games. Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming, and we are focused on making it easier and more fun for people to hang out before, during, and after playing games. We're looking for someone who gets excited about building data infrastructure at massive scale and cares deeply about the gaming communities we serve. Someone with passion for building lovable products for Discord users and Discord engineers. We're building the next generation Data Platform that powers decisions for one of the most vibrant platforms in the world. If you're the kind of Staff Engineer who sees ambiguity as an invitation — who builds systems that make whole teams faster, shapes technical strategy across the org, and wants your decisions to directly impact millions of gamers worldwide — we want to talk to you. To learn more about Discord's Data Platform, read our engineering blog, including how we built our modern data stack leveraging open-source tools! This position is based in our San Francisco office. What You'll Be Doing Own the technical direction of major Data Platform initiatives like GRC, scaling, or stream processing, from problem to production system and post-launch healthBe a force multiplier: build reusable primitives, unblock teammates, and raise the quality bar across the teamStay a top code contributor. You write real production code while helping others reach the same barPartner with XFN stakeholders to translate business problems into clear technical strategyChampion debate, decide, and commit and 80/20 thinking to drive robust technical solutions supporting multiple team What You Should Have 7+ years of software engineering experience with a track record of driving large, ambiguous technical initiatives end-to-endExpertise in distributed systems and data infrastructure at scale. You've anticipated hard problems before they became incidentsDemonstrated ability to multiply a team's impact through architectural thought leadership, design reviews, reusable abstractions, and well-timed mentorshipStrong technical judgment: when to go fast vs. slow, when to build vs. integrate, and how to bring stakeholders alongCross-functional influence: you've driven alignment across engineering, product, and business without relying on authority Bonus Points Passion for Discord and gamingExperience with data governance, privacy compliance, real-time analytics infrastructure, or cost optimization in large-scale data environments Candidates must reside in or be willing to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties). Relocation assistance may be available. The US base salary range for this full-time position is $279,000 to $341,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits. Why Discord? Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We're a multiplatform, multigenerational and multiplayer platform that helps people deepen their friendships around games and shared interests, and helps developers build and grow their businesses. We believe games give us a way to have fun with our favorite people, whether listening to music together or grinding in competitive matches for diamond rank. Join us in our mission! Your future is just a click away! Discord is committed to inclusion and providing reasonable accommodations during the interview process. We want you to feel set up for success, so if you are in need of reasonable accommodations, please let your recruiter know. Please see our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy for details regarding Discord’s collection and usage of personal information relating to the application and recruitment process by clicking HERE. 244 results found No results found Afghanistan+93Åland Islands+358Albania+355Algeria+213American Samoa+1Andorra+376Angola+244Anguilla+1Antigua & Barbuda+1Argentina+54Armenia+374Aruba+297Ascension Island+247Australia+61Austria+43Azerbaijan+994Bahamas+1Bahrain+973Bangladesh+880Barbados+1Belarus+375Belgium+32Belize+501Benin+229Bermuda+1Bhutan+975Bolivia+591Bosnia & Herzegovina+387Botswana+267Brazil+55British Indian Ocean Territory+246British Virgin Islands+1Brunei+673Bulgaria+359Burkina Faso+226Burundi+257Cambodia+855Cameroon+237Canada+1Cape Verde+238Caribbean Netherlands+599Cayman Islands+1Central African Republic+236Chad+235Chile+56China+86Christmas Island+61Cocos (Keeling) Islands+61Colombia+57Comoros+269Congo - Brazzaville+242Congo - Kinshasa+243Cook Islands+682Costa Rica+506Côte d’Ivoire+225Croatia+385Cuba+53Curaçao+599Cyprus+357Czechia+420Denmark+45Djibouti+253Dominica+1Dominican Republic+1Ecuador+593Egypt+20El Salvador+503Equatorial Guinea+240Eritrea+291Estonia+372Eswatini+268Ethiopia+251Falkland Islands+500Faroe Islands+298Fiji+679Finland+358France+33French Guiana+594French Polynesia+689Gabon+241Gambia+220Georgia+995Germany+49Ghana+233Gibraltar+350Greece+30Greenland+299Grenada+1Guadeloupe+590Guam+1Guatemala+502Guernsey+44Guinea+224Guinea-Bissau+245Guyana+592Haiti+509Honduras+504Hong Kong SAR China+852Hungary+36Iceland+354India+91Indonesia+62Iran+98Iraq+964Ireland+353Isle of Man+44Israel+972Italy+39Jamaica+1Japan+81Jersey+44Jordan+962Kazakhstan+7Kenya+254Kiribati+686Kosovo+383Kuwait+965Kyrgyzstan+996Laos+856Latvia+371Lebanon+961Lesotho+266Liberia+231Libya+218Liechtenstein+423Lithuania+370Luxembourg+352Macao SAR China+853Madagascar+261Malawi+265Malaysia+60Maldives+960Mali+223Malta+356Marshall Islands+692Martinique+596Mauritania+222Mauritius+230Mayotte+262Mexico+52Micronesia+691Moldova+373Monaco+377Mongolia+976Montenegro+382Montserrat+1Morocco+212Mozambique+258Myanmar (Burma)+95Namibia+264Nauru+674Nepal+977Netherlands+31New Caledonia+687New Zealand+64Nicaragua+505Niger+227Nigeria+234Niue+683Norfolk Island+672North Korea+850North Macedonia+389Northern Mariana Islands+1Norway+47Oman+968Pakistan+92Palau+680Palestinian Territories+970Panama+507Papua New Guinea+675Paraguay+595Peru+51Philippines+63Poland+48Portugal+351Puerto Rico+1Qatar+974Réunion+262Romania+40Russia+7Rwanda+250Samoa+685San Marino+378São Tomé & Príncipe+239Saudi Arabia+966Senegal+221Serbia+381Seychelles+248Sierra Leone+232Singapore+65Sint Maarten+1Slovakia+421Slovenia+386Solomon Islands+677Somalia+252South Africa+27South Korea+82South Sudan+211Spain+34Sri Lanka+94St. Barthélemy+590St. Helena+290St. Kitts & Nevis+1St. Lucia+1St. Martin+590St. Pierre & Miquelon+508St. Vincent & Grenadines+1Sudan+249Suriname+597Svalbard & Jan Mayen+47Sweden+46Switzerland+41Syria+963Taiwan+886Tajikistan+992Tanzania+255Thailand+66Timor-Leste+670Togo+228Tokelau+690Tonga+676Trinidad & Tobago+1Tunisia+216Turkey+90Turkmenistan+993Turks & Caicos Islands+1Tuvalu+688U.S. Virgin Islands+1Uganda+256Ukraine+380United Arab Emirates+971United Kingdom+44United States+1Uruguay+598Uzbekistan+998Vanuatu+678Vatican City+39Venezuela+58Vietnam+84Wallis & Futuna+681Western Sahara+212Yemen+967Zambia+260Zimbabwe+263